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H7975AAlcohol

Alcoholic Beverages - Retail Licenses

Bars and restaurants must provide a drink lid upon request, for which they may charge a small fee.

In committee37 Yea1 Nay0 Not voting
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Small Business

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires businesses that sell alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption to provide a lid for a customer's drink if requested. The lid must fit at least one type of beverage container used by the business, but does not need to fit all of them. Establishments can charge a small fee for the lid based on its wholesale cost, or they can provide it for free. If a business fails to comply, a first offense will result in a warning from the department.

For younger readers

This bill says that places like restaurants where adults buy drinks must have lids available. If a customer asks for a lid to put on top of their drink cup, the restaurant has to give them one. The restaurant is allowed to ask for a little bit of money to pay for the lid, or they can give it out for free. If the restaurant forgets or doesn't do this, they will get a warning for their first mistake.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Bar and restaurant ownersBar patronsBartenders and serversAlcohol licensing authoritiesBeverage container suppliers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. This bill regulates the commercial service of alcoholic beverages, an area where the state has broad authority to impose health and safety licensing requirements. It does not infringe upon free speech, due process, or protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Enhances community welfare and public safety by ensuring patrons have access to a practical tool to protect their beverages from tampering.
  • Maintains accessibility to this safety feature by capping any potential fees at the wholesale cost of the lid, preventing businesses from price-gouging.
  • Applies universally to all establishments licensed for on-site alcohol consumption, ensuring consistent safety standards across different venues and neighborhoods.
  • Allows businesses to charge a fee for the lids, which could disproportionately affect lower-income individuals and create a financial barrier to safety.
  • Features weak enforcement mechanisms, as the first violation only results in a warning, which may reduce the urgency for businesses to comply.
  • May lead to an increase in single-use plastics and environmental waste, conflicting with progressive environmental and sustainability goals.
For Conservatives
  • Protects corporate freedom by allowing businesses to pass the cost of the lids onto the consumer rather than forcing the business to absorb the expense.
  • Imposes a very lenient penalty for non-compliance, ensuring businesses are only given a warning for a first offense rather than facing immediate heavy fines.
  • Promotes individual personal responsibility by making the lids available strictly upon request, empowering citizens to take charge of their own safety.
  • Imposes a new government mandate on private businesses, forcing bars and restaurants to stock and manage inventory they might not otherwise choose to carry.
  • Interferes with free-market pricing by legally capping the amount a business can charge for the lid at its wholesale cost.
  • Adds unnecessary regulatory red tape, opening the door for state departments to police and monitor the types of cups and lids a private establishment uses.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 12 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 3-7 of the General Laws entitled "Retail Licenses" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 3-7-30. Licensed retailers to provide drink covers upon request.

(a) All holders of retail licenses authorized to sell intoxicating beverages to customers for the purpose of onsite consumption shall upon request, provide a lid with a customer’s drink. For purposes of this section, “lid” means a removable cover of any size that attaches to the rim of a corresponding beverage container. The lid is not required to fit all containers in which alcoholic beverages are served on the premises but shall fit at least one.

(b) The licensee may charge an additional fee for providing a lid with a customer’s drink, which shall not exceed a reasonable amount based on the wholesale cost of those lids.

(c) This section does not prevent a licensee from offering lids to their customers free of charge.

(d) A sole violation of this section shall result in a warning by the department for the first offense.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.